Brandon Ingram

After the 76ers took Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick in last June’s draft, it was an easy decision for the Lakers to select Ingram, a 6-foot-9 swingman who some talent evaluators actually preferred in the pre-draft process due to his superhuman length (7-foot-3 wings...

Ingram, who posted 25 points (10-18 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 5-8 FT), nine rebounds, five assists and one steal across 33 minutes in Friday's 108-103 win over the Bulls, is now averaging 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals across two games since return from an ankle injury.

Expectations are sky high for Ingram, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, who will be tasked with leading a rebuild of one of the league’s proudest franchises. In the long term, Ingram projects as a devastating wing scorer, pairing prototypical athleticism and length with above-average ball-handling skills for a 6-foot-9 player. How ready he’ll be to contribute as a rookie, however, remains to be seen. The biggest question mark with Ingram has always been his rail-thin, 190-pound frame and how it will hold up to the rigors of the NBA. While there’s no question he’ll need to add weight as his career progresses, Ingram, at age 19, is comfortable operating on the perimeter off the dribble and crafty enough around the rim to ease any major concerns. He’ll likely struggle with shooting efficiency, as most rookies do, but should still provide adequate scoring and rebounding numbers. Ingram showed flashes of playmaking ability off the dribble during his lone season at Duke, but that area of his game still needs work, so he’s unlikely to be a strong source of assists as a rookie.